Little Penguins , Big New World !
The Louisville Zoo opened Penguin Cove on May 14 , celebrating the arrival of our newest residents — little penguins !
Our new little penguins are the smallest of all penguin species . You ’ ll notice they have distinctive slate-blue feathers on the top of their body . They only stand about a foot tall and weigh around two pounds .
Their scientific genus name , Eudyptula , means “ good little diver ,” which they are . They can dive up to 200 feet in pursuit of fish and other animals to feed on . These penguins do not migrate . They are year-round residents of their island and mainland locations in the Southern Hemisphere . Unlike our southern rockhopper penguins — who prefer the chilly climates of the sub-Antarctic islands — little penguins live alongside temperate waters , which were the inspiration for our new exhibit , based on the rocky beaches of Australia !
All of our little penguins hatched in managed environments — many in Australia and a few nearby at the Cincinnati Zoo . The process for receiving our little penguins was a long and complex one that required gaining approval from the Australian government . Bird Curator Gary Michaels started the permit process for the Zoo in 2014 . The Australian government was directly involved throughout the entire process as was a zoo-based advisory team to the government in Australia . Final approval was granted for the penguins to head our way in late March of 2016 .
Acclimating the little penguins to the Louisville Zoo was achieved through a very deliberate plan . Keepers were careful to introduce change slowly and give the birds time to handle lots of variation in their surroundings . The little penguins were first kept indoors for a calm , quiet environment with a focus of building the relationship between the penguins and their keepers . Next ,
12 • Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Summer 2016